The GSMA has launched an ongoing programme to help the thousands of small and medium-sized companies developing innovative mobile products and services reach mobile operators and bring their innovations to end-users. The Mobile Innovation Programme is also designed to stimulate and showcase innovation around mobile services and better align innovators with the needs of the mobile industry and its customers.

The Mobile Innovation Programme, which will showcase promising companies with less than $20 million in annual revenue, will accept submissions for the first round up until September 14th. Senior executives from mobile operators and venture capitalists will review submissions from innovators and identify the top 50 small companies targeting the mobile sector. These companies will have the opportunity to meet operators and investors at the GSMA Summit in Macau in November.

The leading companies in four categories will also be recognised at a Mobile Innovation Awards ceremony. Executives from KTF, SingTel, Smart, Softbank and Telenor will be among the judges for this inaugural awards event.

The submission-judging-awards process will be repeated for the Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona in February, 2008 (previously known as 3GSM World Congress).

The 4 submission categories are:

• Most Innovative Consumer Application or Service
• Most Innovative Wireless Device-Centric Technology
• Most Innovative Carrier Infrastructure or Platform
• Most Innovative Mobile Application in a Vertical Market

For the full release and how to apply, click HERE.